Physiology and Health: Blood Glucose Levels and Obesity

Question 1

Chronic elevated blood glucose level leads to what?

Answer 1

Blood vessel damage and atherosclerosis

Question 2

Chronic elevation of blood glucose level due to untreated diabetes leads to what?

Answer 2

Endothelial cells lining the blood vessels to take in more glucose than normal, which damages the blood vessels

Question 3

Atherosclerosis may develop leading to CVD, stroke or peripheral vascular disease which affects what?

Answer 3

Blood vessels leading to arms, hands, legs, feet and toes

Question 4

Small blood vessels that are damaged by elevated glucose levels may haemorrhage, what can this damage?

Answer 4

The retina, or lead to renal failure and peripheral nerve dysfunction

Question 5

How is blood glucose concentration maintained within fine limits?

Answer 5

By negative feedback control involving the hormones insulin, glucagon and adrenaline

Question 6

Blood glucose concentration is monitored by what?

Answer 6

Receptors in the pancreas

Question 7

The pancreas controls what?

Answer 7

Blood glucose with the two hormones insulin and glucagon, which act antagonistically

Question 8

The hormones are transported in the blood to where?

Answer 8

The liver

Question 9

Pancreatic receptors respond to raised blood glucose level by increasing what?

Answer 9

The secretion of insulin from the pancreas

Question 10

Insulin activates the conversion of glucose to glycogen in the liver, decreasing what?

Answer 10

Blood glucose concentration

Question 11

Pancreatic receptors respond to lowered blood glucose level by increasing what?

Answer 11

The secretion of glucagon from the pancreas

Question 12

Glucagon activates the conversion of glycogen to glucose in the liver increasing what?

Answer 12

Blood glucose concentration

Question 13

During exercise and fight or flight responses, glucose concentration in the blood is raised by adrenaline, which is released from the adrenal glands, adrenaline stimulates what?

Answer 13

Glucagon secretion and inhibits insulin secretion

Question 14

What are diabetics unable to control?

Answer 14

Their blood glucose concentration

Question 15

What can be a chronic complication of diabetes?

Answer 15

Vascular disease

Question 16

When does type 1 diabetes usually occur?

Answer 16

In childhood

Question 17

What is wrong with a person with type 1 diabetes?

Answer 17

They are unable to produce insulin and can be treated with regular doses of insulin

Question 18

When does type 2 diabetes typically develop?

Answer 18

Later in life

Question 19

The likelihood of developing type 2 diabetes is increased by what?

Answer 19

Being overweight

Question 20

In type 2 diabetes, individuals produce insulin but their cells are what?

Answer 20

Less sensitive to insulin

Question 21

What is the insulin resistance linked to?

Answer 21

A decrease in the number of insulin receptors in the liver, leading to a failure to convert glucose to glycogen

Question 22

In both types of diabetes, an individual’s blood glucose concentration rises after what?

Answer 22

A meal

Question 23

The kidneys are unable to do what?

Answer 23

Reabsorb all the glucose and it appears in urine

Question 24

Testing urine for glucose is often used as what?

Answer 24

An indicator of diabetes

Question 25

What is used to diagnose diabetes?

Answer 25

The glucose tolerance test

Question 26

Initially, the blood glucose concentration of the individual is what?

Answer 26

Measured after fasting

Question 27

The individual then drinks a glucose solution and then what happens?

Answer 27

Changes in their blood glucose concentration are measured for at least the next two hours

Question 28

The blood glucose concentration of a diabetic usually starts where?

Answer 28

At a higher level than that of a non-diabetic

Question 29

During the test, a diabetic’s blood glucose concentration increases to a much higher level than that of a non-diabetic and what?

Answer 29

Takes longer to return to its starting concentration

Question 30

Obesity can impair what?

Answer 30

Health

Question 31

Obesity is a major risk factor for what?

Answer 31

Cardiovascular disease and type 2 diabetes

Question 32

Obesity is characterised by what?

Answer 32

Excess body body fat in relation to lean body tissue such as muscle

Question 33

Body mass index (BMI) is a measurement of body fat based on what?

Answer 33

Height and body mass

Question 34

What is the equation for BMI?

Answer 34

BMI = body mass (kg) / height (m)²

Question 35

BMI can be used to do what?

Answer 35

Identify people who are obese, overweight, normal or underweight

Question 36

A BMI of great than 30 indicates what?

Answer 36

Obesity

Question 37

BMI is commonly used to do what?

Answer 37

Measure obesity but can wrongly classify muscular individuals as obese

Question 38

Obesity is linked to what?

Answer 38

A high-fat diet and reduced physical activity

Question 39

The energy intake in the diet should do what?

Answer 39

Limit fats and free sugars, as fats have a high calorific value per gram and free sugars require no metabolic energy to be expended in their digestion

Question 40

Exercise does what?

Answer 40

Increases energy expenditure and preserves lean tissue

Question 41

Exercise can help to reduce risk factors for cardiovascular disease by what?

Answer 41

Keeping weight under control, minimising stress, reducing hypertension and improving blood lipid profiles (HDL:LDL)